Email this article   Print article 

Salesforce.com Unveils Integration Tools For Back-Office Systems

By Antone Gonsalves, CRN
November 27, 2006    7:38 PM ET

Salesforce.com on Monday unveiled integration tools for connecting its on-demand customer relationship management application to back-office systems.

ApexConnect is a line of technologies that extend the company's Apex platform into subscribers' IT systems. "Think of ApexConnect as a family of technologies that address our customers' diverse integration needs," said Ariel Kelman, senior director of platform product marketing at the San Francisco company.

Among the latest capabilities in ApexConnect is ConnectOut, an application-programming interface for outbound messaging. Rather than have subscribers' enterprise resource planning systems constantly ping the on-demand platform for changes, customers can define a business process event in Salesforce.com that will send the change to an ERP application, or trigger an integration hub to update connected systems.

ConnectOut is expected to ship in January at no additional charge as part of Saleforce.com's annual winter upgrade.

Salesforce.com plans in early 2007 to ship a pre-built, two-way connector for synchronizing customer account information between Oracle 11i databases and the CRM system. Salesforce.com last summer released similar software for SAP applications. ConnectOracle is expected to cost $12,000 per year for subscribers to the enterprise and unlimited editions of Salesforce.com.

Finally, Salesforce.com on Monday released integration software to connect ApexConnect with technology from 25 partners, including AboveAll, Business Objects, Bluewolf Group, Bridgewerx, Cast Iron, Composite Software, Data Backbone, Dynamic Ventures, forceAMP.com, Ilink, Informatica, Integration Technologies, InvisibleCRM, Ipedo, Jitterbit, OpenAccess Software, Okere, Pervasive, Tibco, Salescentrix, Scribe, Sesame Software, SGC Software, Synergex, and TwoConnect.

Salesforce.com's focus on integration with back-office systems is important for the company to increase sales in the enterprise market. The CRM vendor's Apex platform, launched in October, is expected to provide subscribers with more flexibility in customizing the service by building and deploying their own applications. An Apex programming language for building custom software is set for release in the first half of next year.


Email this article   Print article 

More Channel Programs

Recent Articles

Five Companies That Dropped The Ball This Week

For the week ending Feb. 10, CRN looks at five companies that were either asleep at the wheel or just didn't make good decisions.

Five Companies That Came To Win This Week

For the week ending Feb. 10, CRN looks at five companies that brought their 'A' game and made moves to beat out competitors

10 Challenges That HP Wants Partners To Tackle Right Now

CRN speaks with HP's business unit chiefs to get a sense of where they'd like partners to focus in the coming year, as well as how CEO Meg Whitman is making a difference.

  More Slide Shows




Related Videos
Loading...